Key Committee Backs Expansion Of Medical Marijuana Program

Children with certain debilitating illnesses would be able to participate in the state's medical marijuana program under a proposed law that passed a key committee Monday.

Children with certain debilitating illnesses would be able to participate in the state's medical marijuana program under a proposed law that passed a key committee Monday. (Juan Bernal / Getty Images/iStockphoto)

HARTFORD — A key legislative committee on Monday approved a significant expansion to the state's medical marijuana program, including allowing children with certain debilitating illnesses to participate.

Opponents say that the long-term effects of marijuana on a developing brain are largely unknown and that use of the drug could lead to lasting damage.

"Fifty years ago we treated mental illness with electroshock therapy,'' said Rep. Vin Candelora, R-North Branford. "I would hate to see us go down that same path with experimenting on childrens' brains with the use of marijuana for certain types of illnesses."

But advocates say that eliminating the age restriction on the use of medical marijuana would provide critically ill children a measure of relief. The bill, as proposed, would allow children to be prescribed a form of the drug that does not produce a high, but does provide relief for the symptoms of some illnesses.

"If this was my child, I would do whatever it takes to ... relieve their pain and ... try to alleviate their symptoms and the reduced quality of life that they have,'' said Sen. John Kissel of Enfield, the ranking Republican on the judiciary committee. "If there's a chance that something might work, wouldn't you go for it?"

The committee endorsed Senate Bill 1064 after a debate that stretched for more than two hours. Sen. Toni Boucher, a longtime opponent of marijuana, in both its medicinal and recreational forms, spoke at length about the potential risks of allowing children to use the drug as part of their treatment.

"Our continued attempts to blur the line between the use of [an] addictive drug and the use of it as a medicine really undercuts the goals of stopping ... drug use, preventing addiction and promoting really good health for our children,'' she said.

Boucher, R-Wilton, put forth several amendments, including one that would have established a pilot program for the use of marijuana in the treatment of epilepsy in children. Each of her proposals was rejected.

Lawmakers approved the use of medical marijuana in 2012, but only people 18 and older with certain qualifying diseases are permitted to participate.

At a public hearing last month, committee members heard poignant testimony from parents who have had to move out of Connecticut so that their children can be prescribed marijuana as part of their treatment.

That testimony weighed heavily on Rep. William Tong, the co-chairman of the committee. Tong, D-Stamford, voted against the establishment of the medical marijuana program in 2012. He also opposed the state's effort to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.

And his initial reaction to the proposal to allow children to access medical marijuana was negative as well. "I do regard marijuana as a controlled substance and an illegal substance, and I think we have to do all we can to protect our children from the scourge of drug abuse and drug use,'' Tong said.

"But,'' he added, "I will tell you that during that hearing, I learned so much about why we have this program and who needs it. I thought about my opposition to the medical marijuana bill and I thought about my opposition to decriminalization but really the only thing I could think was, 'Give that kid whatever he needs so he can get better.' I think that is the compassionate thing to do."

The bill, which now moves to the full Senate for consideration, also includes several other provisions.

It would allow the state Department of Consumer Protection, which oversees the medical marijuana program, to approve marijuana research programs and to provide immunity from prosecution to those conducting the research. It would also extend immunity, both criminal and civil, to nurses who administer medical marijuana and make it easier for patients in hospice or another in-patient care facility to obtain medical marijuana by allowing the product to be delivered there directly from a dispensary.